Strip-controlling device for sewing-machines.



A. H. DE VOE.

STRIP CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION men MAY I6. 1912.

LQQJZ'Y. Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

A. H. DE VOE. STRIP CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. 1911.

1,289,127. Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. H. DE VOE.

smP commune DEVICE FOR sswms MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I6. 1917- I Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR MUM/4% llTE PATENT @FTQE.

ALBERT H. DE VOE, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STRIP-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Application filed May 16, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DE Von, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Strip-Controlling Devices for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has to do with sewing machines in general and with guiding devices therefor in particular.

In the manufacture of overalls it is desirable to reinforce the junction of the bib and the body or nether portions thereof with a strip or tape applied to the under side of the goods to conceal it from View. The strip extends transversely of the garment and its ends are finished off neatly by doubling them under transverse the length of the strip. The raw edges of unselvaged strips are liable to ravel and it is preferable to hem or fold them under. Heretofore it has been common to stitch the hemmed edges of such strips to the garment entirely across the width of the bib. to cut the tape and then to rip out the stitches adjacent the edges of the bib in order to fold the ends under and finish them off neatly.

It is the purpose of this invention to avoid the time consuming operation of ripping out stitches at the ends of the strip or tape by diverting the edges of the strip from under the needles as they pass the stitching point.

The marked simplicity of construction and efii ciency in operation which will appear in the following description of the preferred Specification of Letters Patent.

invention is characterized by a Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Serial No. 168,949.

bib and body sections showing the different conditions in which the reinforcing strip passes the needles. Fig. 6 is a perspective of the preferred form of channeled throatplate. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of throat-plate. Fig. 8 is a detail showing the two positions of the delivery end of the strip-guiding device. Figs. 9-11, inclusive, illustrate a modification of the invention and Figs. 12-14, inclusive, show. a further modification of the invention.

Cooperating with any suitable form of under-thread handling mechanism are a pair of spaced needles 1 entering needleholes 2 in a throat-plate 3 which is cut away in advance of the needle-holes as indicated clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The opening so formed is definedby vertically extending walls, 4:, 5 and 6, The walls 5 and 6 are oppositely convergent relative to the direction of feed and are located immediately in advance of the needles. The

wall 4 is parallel with the needles and is not as high as the convergent walls, the throatplate being milled out in rear thereof, as indicated on the drawing by the surface 7, to furnish clearance. The inclined walls 5 and 6 extend past the wall 4: a short distance where they join parallel and vertically extending walls 9 and 10 spaced apart a less distance than the needles between which they are disposed. These walls 9 and 10 diminish in height in the direction of feed until they disappear slightly in rear of the needles. Collectively the Walls 59 and 6l0-form an edge-guiding or edgediverting device for contracting a strip, de-

livered thereto from a strip-guide and normally wider than the needles are apart, from the range of action of the stitch-forming mechanism and for leading the strip past the needles with its edges between and to one side of the same. walls 5 and 6 the upper surface of the throat-plate is chamfered as indicated at 5' and 6 to facilitate the contracting of the strip as will appear more clearly as the description proceeds.

A strip-guiding device 11 is also located in advance of the needles with its flat tubular delivery end 12 beveled off at the corners as indicated at ,13 in conformity with Laterally of the enabling the guide to be adjustably secured by means of a clamping screw 19 and steady pins 19 to the wing or extension 20iof a sleeve 21 secured on oneend of a rock-shaft 22. The shaft 22 is suitably journaled in spaced bearing lugs 23, Fig. 3. depending.

from a supportinv plate 24 removably secured to the clot -plate 25 by screws 26, endwise movement of the shaft 22 being prevented by a sleeve 27 and a collar 27 clamped by a screw 28 to the shaft on opposite sides of one of the :bearing lugs'23.

An arm 29 suitably fixed to the other end of the rock-shaft 22 carries a friction-roller 30 adapted to enter the slotted cam-end 31 of a knee-shift lever 32 pivoted at 33 to a bracket-arm 34 secured by screws 35' to the supporting plate 24. A spring 36, fixed to the lever adjacent thepivot 33, is so con-- structed and arranged with relation to a block 37 smtably secured to the plate 24,

that it-normally holds the lever 32 in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings with the roller 30 near the open end of the cam slot and the strip-guiding .device raised.

The inner closed end of the cam-slot is farther from the pivotal axis 33 than the open end so that when the lower end of the lever- 32 is swung to the right, from the position'shown in. Fig. 1 to [that shown in Figs. 2- and 3, the arm 29 is swung upwardly and the strip-guiding device 11 downwardly,

thereby depressing the delivery end of the strip-guiding device from a position above the upper surface of the throat-plate to a position below the same and between the convergent walls 5 and 6 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8.

Located in advance of the needles is a hemmer 40 hinged at 41 to a removable section 42 of the cloth-plate 25 on which section is also suitably mounted an edge.

gage 43. The hemmer is adapted to fold under the lower edge of the bib-sections and the edge gage to properly locate the upper edge of the lower or nether portions of the garment relative to boththe bib sections and the reinforcing strip. With the horizontally hinged hemmer cross seams or other inequalities in the garment may be accommodated. The strip-guiding devire 11 is inclined upwardly from beneath the cloth-plate '25 and its delivery end 12 promama? jected through an aperture 44 in the section 42 of said cloth-plate.

In the normal operation of the machine the delivery end edges 16 of the strip-guide occupy a position above the upper surface of the throat-plate and direct the strip over the chamfered positions 5 and 6 to and. under the needles. This position of the strip-guiding device is indicated in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 8. in solid lines; The edgeguiding or diverting device, comprising the walls 5-9 and 610, is wholly idle and therefore ineffective during the normal operation of the machine when the stripguiding device is in the position above mentioned. When the side edge of a garment is approached during a stitching operation the operator has only to press the knee-shift lever 32 to the right in order to depress the delivery end of the strip-guiding device down in between the convergent walls 5 and 6, in which cooperative relation of the devices the edges of a strip will be deflected A inwardly and the strip contracted in width as it passes the needles. This diverting, action is clearly portrayed in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings. During the normal operation of the machine when the stripguiding device 11 is in the position shown in Fig. 1,v the lower of the end edges 16 of the flat tubular delivery end 12 smooths or irons out flat the intermediate portions of the strip.

In the manufacture of corsets it is often desirableto leave an entrance or opening at one side of the bone casing or strips covering the steels for facilitating the insertion of stiffeners. In such cases it would be-desirable to withdraw only one edge of a strip from the action of the needles. This could be done readily either by dispensing entirely withlone of the vertical edge-diverting Walls or arranging one parallel with the line of feed at or beyond the line in which its corresponding edge of the strip travels. Such a modification is indicated at 50 in Fig. 7 of the drawings. corresponding corner of the strip-guiding device may or may not be beveled, as desired.

It will be observed that the present stripguiding device, in the normal operation of the machine when both edges of a strip are being penetrated by the needles, directs the strip to the stitching point without any assistance from the edge-diverting walls 56 on the throat-plate, inasmuch as the edges of the strip necessarily pass over the chamfered portions 5' and 6 in order to pass under the needles. Normally the strip-guiding device is the sole means for directing the strip'to the needles and normally therefore the edge-diverting or edge-guiding device is ineffective. When the strip-guiding device is depressed into cooperative relation with In this case, of course, the,

tion illustrated in 1 Figs.

the edge-diverting device it directs the strip in between the convergent walls 5 and 6 and renders both devices simultaneously effective, the former leading the strip to the latter which acts to turn the edges of the strip to one side so that they may pass between the needles, the intermediate portions of the strip being crimped longitudinally. It is to be noted also, that the strip-guiding device is moved into cooperative relation with the edge-guide or edge-diverting device during the operation of themachine.

In the foregoing the principle of operation consists in drawing the edges of a strip down across the convergent walls during the operation of the machine when through cooperation of the walls and feed-dogs the edges of a strip will be diverted from their normal paths under the needles, the actionbeing dependent upon the movement of the strip-guiding device relative to the edgediverting device.

Substantially the same principle of operation is relied upon to effect withdrawal of the edges of a strip in the modifications of the device shown on Sheet 3 of the drawings.

In-the modification shown in Figs. 9-11.. inclusive, a strip-guiding device 111 is provided with a plurality of crimping fingers 112 extending from the upper wall of its flat delivery or discharge end 113.. Crimping channels 114 are formed in the throat-plate 115 in advance of the usual feed-dog slots and are shaped to mate with the fingers 112. The strip-guiding device 111 may be supported and moved by any suitable mechanism, such as that shown and described in connection with the preferred form of inven- 16, inclusive. When the strip-guiding device is depressed from the solid line position shown in Fig. 11 to carry the fingers 112 into the crimping channels 11 i, the edges of the strip passing through the folder are withdrawn from the actionof the needles.

' In the modification shown in Figs. 1214,

inclusive, a single crimping finger 212 is slidably secured by clips 213 and screws 214 to a fixed or relatively fixed portion 215 of the cloth-plate so as to be movable relative to a strip-guiding device 216 upwardly inclined beneath a cloth-plate and supported in any suitable manner. Through the stripguiding device a strip may be led over the rounded edge 230 of the throat-plate 231 to the spaced needles of the stitch-forming mechanism. The parallel walls of the delivery portion of the strip-guiding device 216 are cut away, as indicated by the slots 217 and 218, to allow the finger 212 being passed through it. The finger is normally held retracted, as shown in solid linesFig. 13, by the spring 219 secured at one end to a pin 220 fixed to the finger 212 and at its other end to a pin 221 fixed to one of the clips 213. The finger may be advanced manually by any suitable agency directed endwise against it, as indicated by the arrow at 222. When the finger 212 is advanced through the strip-guide 216 it will crimp or buckle the material intermediateits edges and out through the open-ended slot 218 thereby withdrawing the edges of the strip from the action of the needles.

In the modifications found in Sheet 2) of the drawings, it will therefore be apparent that a relative bodily movement between a strip-guide and a normally ineffective crimping device is relied upon to effect a withdrawal of the edges of a strip from the action of spaced needles-just as a relative bodily movement between a strip-guide and a normally ineffective element is relied upon toproduce the same result in the preferred form of the invention shown in Figs. 16 of the drawing.

Having thus set forth the nature of" the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a sewing machine, in combination,

stitch-for1ning mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a normally ineffective edge-diverting device, an independ ent and continually effective strip-guiding device, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine for rendering both simultaneously eii'ective whereby at least one edge of a strip being stitched may be withdrawn from the action of the needles without stopping the stitch-forming mechanism.

2. In a sewing machine, in combination. stitch-forming mechanism including a needle and work-feeding mechanism. a guide. an ed e diverting wall located between the gulde and the needle, and means for moving said guide and wall relatively into cooperative relation whereby one edge of material passing through the guide may be led under or to'one side of the needle.

3. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a needle, feeding mechanism. a strip-guide. and additional means having an active divert-ingwall'located in advance ofithe needle for contracting the width of a strip as it passes the needle, said strip guide being movable into and out of cooperative relation with said additional means during the operation of the machine.

In a sewing machine, In combination,

' more of said edges may be withdrawn from the action of the stitch-forming mechanism.

5. In a sewing machine, in combination. stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, work-feeding mechanism, a stripguide continuously efl'ective in directing the strip toward the stitch-forming mechanism parallel to the direction of feed, and an edgeguide having a surface for diverting the edge of the strip laterally of the line of seam formation, said strip and edge-guides being relatively movable into and out of cooperative relation. Y

6. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, an edge-diverting device located in advance of the needle, a strip-guiding device located in advance of theedge-diverting device, said edge-diverting device being normally located at one side of the path of a strip from the strip-guiding device to the feeding mechanism, said devices being relatively movable to position the edge-diverting device in oracross the path of the strip from the strip guiding device to the feeding'mechanism and to render it effective without stopping the machine.

7. In a sewing machine, in combination,

' stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, work-feeding mechanism, edge-diverting walls fixed relatively to the needles and in advance thereof, a strip-guidin device movable during the operation 0 the machine about an axis located in advance of toward each other in the direction of and at least one of which isdlsposed across the llne of'seam formation in advance of a needle, whereby when the devices are moved relatively at least one edge of a strip may be deflected from its corresponding needle.

9. In a sewing machi'ngi iin combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanisnn an edge-guiding device, a strip-guiding device, said edgegulding device including walls oppositely convergent relative to the direction of feed and in advance of the needles, and means formoving said devices relatively.

10. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, an edge-guiding device, a strip-guiding device, said edgeguiding device including wallsequally and oppositely convergent relative to the direction of feed, means for moving said devices relatively into cooperative relation including a slotted cam-lever, an arm operated thereby, and operative connections between said arm and one of said devices.

11. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a continually "verting device'normally ineffective upon the strip, said devices being relatively movable.

during the operation of the machine for rendering both simultaneously effective upon the strip whereby at least one edge of a strip being stitched may be withdrawn from the action of the needles without stopping the stitch-forming mechanism, and means for movlng said devices relatively a predetermlned distance into cooperatlve relatlon.

13. In a sewing machine, in combination,

stitch-forming mechanism including spaced 'needles, feeding mechanism, a continually effective strip-guiding device, an edge-diverting device normally ineffective uponthe strip, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine for rendering both simultaneously effective upon the strip whereby at least one edge of a strip being stitched may be Withdrawn from the action ofthe needles without stopping the stitch-forminr mechanism, and means for moving said devices relatively into cooperative relation including a spring for holding said strip-guiding device in normal. operative position. V .4

14. In a sewing machine, in combination,

' stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, an edge-guiding device, a strip-guiding device, said edgeguiding device'including fixed walls having relatively convergent faces in advance of the needles and relatively parallel faces laterally of the needles, said strip-guiding device having the-corners of its delivery end beveled off to fit within the spacebetween said con vergent faces of the walls, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine.

15. In a sewing machine, in combination,

stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, an edge-guiding device, a strip-guiding device, said edgeguiding device including relatively fixed walls having relatively convergent faces in advance of the needles and relatively parallel faces laterally of the needles, said stripguiding device having the edges of its delivery endbeveled off to fit within the space between said convergent faces of the walls,

said devices being relatively movable, and means for moving the delivery end of said strip-guiding device into and out of said space between the walls for cooperation therewith.

16. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, an edge-guiding device, a strip-guiding device, said edgeguiding device including fixed walls having relatively convergent faces in advance of the needles and relatively parallel faces laterally of the needles, said strip-guiding device having the edges of its delivery end beveled off to fit within the space between said convergent faces of the walls, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine, and manual means for moving said devices relatively into cooperative relation and automatic means for moving said devices relatively out of cofiperative relation.

17. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a pair of spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a strip-guiding device, a throat-plate having edge-guiding walls fixed thereto in advance of the needles and convergent in the direction of feed, a pivotal support for said stripguiding device, said pivotal support extending perpendicularly to a vertical plane through the line of feed, and means for swinging the delivery end of said stripguiding device about the axis of said pivotal support whereby the edges of a strip maybe led under or to one side of the needles.

18. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a pair of spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a throatplate a normally ineffective edge-diverting device fixed relative to said throatplate, a folder, a pivotal support for said folder, means connected with said pivotal support for swinging the folder about the axis of its pivot into and out of cooperative relation with said edge-diverting device,

.whereby the normally inefl'ective edge-divertingdevice may rendered effective to lead the edges of a strip to one side past the needles during the operation of the machine.

19. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a pair of spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a throat-plate, a normally inoperative edgeguiding device fixed relative to said throatplate in advance of the needles, said edgeguiding device comprising convergent Walls spaced farther apart at their receiving ends ,than at their delivery ends and disposed in advance of the needles, a strip-guiding device having edge-folding portions, a sha fixedly connected with said strip-guidlng device and supporting the same, manualmeans for rocking saidshaft and strip-guiding device, and means for normally holding said strip-guiding device spaced from and out of cooperative relation with said edgeguiding device.

20. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, work-feeding mechanism, astripguiding device, an edge-diverting device, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine and said strip-guiding device being normally positioned to direct the edges of a strip under the needles without subjecting them to the" action of the edge-diverting device, and means for moving said strip-guiding device to a position subjecting the edges of the strip to the action of the edge-diverting de vice.

21. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding'mechanism, a strip-guiding device having a discharge orifice wider than said needles are spaced apart for directing the edges of a strip under the needles, and a device for crimping a strip pulled by the feed through said strip-guiding device, said devices being relatively movable during the operation of the machine to withdraw the edges of a strip from the normal. path un-' ing mechanism, a strip-guiding device having a discharge'orifice of fixed width exceeding the lateral distance between the needles transverse the direction of feed, said strip-guiding device being adapted to direct the edges of a' strip under the needles, in combination with a crimping device, said devices being relativelv movable during the operation of the machine without stopping the stitch-forming mechanism whereby the edges of a strip mav be withdrawn from the action of the needles at will.

23. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, feeding mechanism, a strip-guiding device having a delivery end fixed against movement laterally of the line of feed and laterally of said spaced needles, means for crimping a strip passing through said stripguiding device, said means and said stripguiding device being relatively movable during the operation of the machine whereby the edges of a strip led by said stripguiding device to said spaced needles may be withdrawn from their action without stopping the stitch-forming mechanism.

24. In the combination set forth in claim 23, the strip-guiding device inclined upft. wardly from beneath and with its delivery end normally at substantially the same elevation as the horizontal plane of the feed.

25. In the combination set forth in claim 23, a hemmer and an edge-gage located above the horizontal plane of feed, the stripguiding device being inclined upwardly from beneath the horizontal plane of feed.

26. In the combination set forth in claim 23, a hemmer movable toward and from and located above the horizontal plane of feed, and an edge-gage.

27. In the combination set forth in claim 23, a cloth-plate having a movable section, a hemmer and an edge-gage mounted on said section in fabric directing relation with i the spacedneedles, said hemmer and edgegage being movable with said section.

28. In a sewing machine, in combination,

stitch-forming mechanism including spaced needles, work-feeding mechanism, a stripguidin'g device, an edge-diverting device, said strip-guiding device normally directing both edges of a strip under the needles without subjecting the edges of the strip to the action of the edge-diverting device, and means for relatively moving said devices to subject the edges of the strip" to the action of the edge-diverting device.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my '25 name to this specification.

ALBERT H. DE VOE. 

